Lizzy's Declaration
by molgor
Summary: Based on the 2005 movie, Lizzy tells Mr. Darcy how she feels!


Elizabeth Bennet was not ordinarily so concerned with her appearance. But that was before she knew anyone was paying attention. Ever since she found out about Mr. Darcy's affections; and hers towards him, she felt uncharacteristically self-conscious. Now, newly engaged, she felt even more like a spectacle, knowing everyone would be watching them.

The last twenty four hours had been a whirlwind. First, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy came to Longbourn and eventually, Mr. Bingley proposed to Jane! Upon entering the house and being announced, Mr. Darcy appeared uninterested in Elizabeth, an action which had left her profoundly upset. So upset, in fact, that while she rejoiced for Jane, she also wept for herself.

And then, that strange visit from Lady Catherine! How she had walked in and insulted Lizzy's family, so late in the evening. Once alone with Elizabeth, she proceeded to hurl accusations at her, the source of which, Lizzy knew not. When she asked Lizzy if she was engaged to Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth sadly said she was not. But when Lady Catherine wished to extract a promise from her to never agree to enter into such an engagement, Elizabeth had defiantly refused.

After Lady Catherine had left, Lizzy tried to sleep but couldn't. All the memories of Hunsford came flooding back, how rejected Mr. Darcy had looked when she said she couldn't accept his hand. He was not blameless; of course, he had said some very unromantic things in the process of his proposal. But now that she knew her feelings for him, she had wished that she could go back and take away the hurt. And of course, she wished she could go back and say yes. At Pemberly he seemed so different; smiling, happy to see her. Lydia's selfishness had ruined all that, and even though she found out that he had been responsible for their marriage, when he returned to Longbourn that very afternoon, he seemed reserved again.

Lizzy had gotten out of bed knowing sleep was not going to come. Before the sun came up, she'd gone outside to escape the feeling of suffocating under the weight of her own sadness. She walked she knew not where, but when she happened to look up and to her left, she saw Mr. Darcy walking towards her. He had an air about him of confidence and purpose. When he stood before her, he opened his heart once more and she accepted his offer of marriage.

That had been this morning, and now, after a small rest, Lizzy was preparing for his return to Longbourn. She nervously looked at her dresses, wondering which one he would find her most appealing in. Finally she picked the one she had worn at Pemberly since it held warm memories for her and she hoped; him. Should she wear her hair up or down? Which did he prefer? She realized that there were still so many things she didn't know about him. There were a few things he didn't know about her either, and this afternoon she'd hoped to rectify that. There was the matter of how she felt for him, something she'd had yet not expressed, but wanted very much to. "Must hurry, then" she told herself. He would be arriving soon.

Mr. Darcy dismounted from his horse and handed the reins to one of the servants at Longbourn. He strode to the front door, preparing to knock, but Mrs. Bennet opened it before he got the chance. He bowed to her and she curtsied.

"There you are, Mr. Darcy! Lizzy will be down in a minute." She smiled at him, then turned around and yelled loudly, "Lizzy, Lizzy, come here quickly!"

If Mr. Darcy was startled, he didn't let it show. But her words and the loudness of them had the desired effect in producing Elizabeth, blushing though she might have been.

"We're going for a walk." She informed her mother, and in the process, Mr. Darcy as well.

"Be back at six, Lizzy dear, for supper." Mrs. Bennet called out, then added, "And of course, you too, Mr. Darcy!"

As soon as they got outside, Lizzy let out a stifled laugh. Darcy grinned back at her in return.

"And where are we going, Miss Bennet?"

"I thought we could go back to the bridge we stood on this morning? There's some things I wish to tell you."

"Should I be concerned?" For a split second, Mr. Darcy wondered if she had changed her mind.

Elizabeth sensed his worry and once upon a time, she might've teased him about it. But just as he had changed, she had as well and could not.

"No, Mr. Darcy, the only thing you need concern yourself with now is the fact that when you marry me, you inherit my mother as your relation!" She smiled as she said it.

"Then let's be glad Pemberly is so far away," he reminded her. There was a time when Mrs. Bennet most definitely had been an obstacle to his desire to be with Elizabeth, but now nothing mattered but to be with the woman he so dearly loved.

They passed the time of the walk in contented silence. He held her hand and marveled to himself about the softness of her fingers, how small her hand was in comparison to his. Mostly he reveled in her closeness and the knowledge that he could now freely admit his feelings for her.

When they got to the bridge, Lizzy turned to face him. She felt awkward suddenly, knowing that for the first time she would be addressing him in much less formal way, than before.

"William" she said softly.

He felt the sweet shock of hearing her say his Christian name. As the emotion of the moment swept over him, he knew with absolute certainty that he was grinning like an idiot. He didn't care.

"I wanted to apologize for all the terrible things I said to you at Hunsford."

He shook his head as he said, "You don't have to…."

She would not be dissuaded. "But I want to, please let me finish?"

He nodded that he would.

"You gave me your heart that day and I broke it and gave it back to you." Lizzy let the regret and guilt wash over her, she felt the pain this remembrance brought her and she felt the tears begin to well in her eyes.

Mr. Darcy shook his head, again. "It's not important now." He argued. If there was one place that he didn't want to return to, it was his frame of mind at Hunsford.

But she continued on, ignoring him. "I will never forget the sight of you, wet with rain, bearing your soul to me, offering your hand…." Lizzy let the sentence trail off and let the tears fall freely down her face. One look at Mr. Darcy told her he was far away, remembering that day and all the terrible things they had said. Elizabeth didn't want him to stay there, however.

"You told me something, that I didn't understand, but I have come to understand now." She continued.

Lizzy hesitated, was her William crying? She reached up and touched his face with her hand; her fingers caressed his wet cheek. She looked him in the eye and told him what his heart had yearned to hear, for so long.

"I love you," she said, her voice full of emotion, "most ardently".

As he drank in what she had just told her, Lizzy continued, "You have bewitched me body and soul and I never wish to be parted from you again."

These were the words he had told her and she wanted him to know that she felt the same.

She let her eyes search his face, he was looking at her intensely; it frightened her, but then it also intrigued her. She watched as Mr. Darcy's eyelashes fluttered as he took all of this in.

"I almost kissed you at Hunsford," he confessed.

"I almost let you," she answered without shame.

Swiftly, he pulled her into his arms and she went gladly. He kissed the top of her head and she looked up at him. They met halfway, he, lowering his head, she, standing on tiptoes. Years later they would playfully argue about who kissed who, but for now it mattered not. Both enjoyed the gentle closeness, that this, their first kiss afforded.

When they came apart, Lizzy laughed.

"You think that was funny?" Mr. Darcy asked in mock anger.

"I was just remembering something my Aunt Gardiner said when we were at the Rose and Crown."

"And what was that, Elizabeth?" He was most interested to hear what one of his favorite relations of hers had to say.

"She said that there was something pleasant about your mouth when you spoke." She winked at him, smiling. "But I daresay, there's something pleasant about your mouth when you're not speaking, either."

Mr. Darcy was left speechless at this revelation and Elizabeth wondered if she'd gone too far. His laugh out loud reassured her that she had not.

"I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you too, William."

"I love it when you call me that."

"William, William, William…" She laughed as he pulled her back into his arms, she felt comfortable, not at all shy anymore.

Smiling, they headed back to Longbourn and their life ahead.


End file.
